


I'd Like To Walk Around In Your Mind

by Martengapop



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Depression, F/M, Friendship, Idk I'll add more tags later, Mental Health Issues, No Storm in Arcadia Bay, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 20:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8911591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Martengapop/pseuds/Martengapop
Summary: What if Nathan actually travels back in time with Max whenever she uses her power? Rating may change in the future.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Salutation! Welcome to my yet another story, dear readers. It's been awhile since I post anything here, but I just finished playing Life Is Strange recently (it's kinda late, I know) and I fell in love with everything in it! I also instantly ship Max/Nathan like crazy, hence I wrote this. The idea had been buzzing in my head like crazy, I thought I need to write it down. Though I haven't got the time to explore more CaulScott stories out there, so I'm absolutely clueless if anyone has already written a story with the same concept like mine, but if you do, let me know and maybe we can talk it through.
> 
> Moving on, I would like to thank the awesome mrscrankypants for her unconditional love and support! I love you, gal! And if any of you fellas happen to dig Mortal Kombat or Shokugeki no Soma, her place is the ultimate shrine that you need to visit. Check her out!
> 
> Finally, you know the drill. If you like it, leave a review, if you don't, leave a review. Enjoy.

_Time present and time past_

_Are both perhaps present in time future,_

_And time future contained in time past._

  _If all time is eternally present_

_All time is unredeemable._

_What might have been is an abstraction_

_Remaining a perpetual possibility_

_Only in a world of speculation._

  _What might have been and what has been_

_Point to one end, which is always present._

  _Footfalls echo in the memory_

_Down the passage which we did not take_

_Towards the door we never opened..._

_T.S. Eliot - Burnt Norton_

* * *

_You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…_

_until you climb into his skin and walk around in it_

_Harper Lee - To Kill A Mockingbird_

* * *

When a flock of birds took flight and a drying pine alighted from the branch onto the ground, Nathan Prescott peeled his eyes open as he gazed upon the vast parking lot before him from his truck, face scowling while a shaft of light dancing around his visage.

He had his smartphone in one hand. The screen was halfway meeting its demise before he shifted his stare just in time to re-read the message that had been hovering over his head for the past ten minutes, his cerulean-blue eyes showing anything but the rage that was fuming within.

" _hey asshole meet me in the girls' bathroom in 20 minutes or else"_

It was probably like the fifth time Nathan had re-read the fucking text. He had no idea why he kept crawling back to torture himself like this, but this time he knew that he had enough. Thus, he eventually decided to take the matters into his own hands by hurling his phone to the back seat with every strength he had. The device hit the window with a shrilling crack, though he gave no fuck if it broke apart—he even hoped that it did.

It was two hours before sundown. And while Arcadia Bay had never looked more picturesque than ever in autumn, the young Prescott was already too drown in his sullen mood to care about the chilly wind caressing the skeletal trees, the music that the sea crooned as people amble by the seashore, the morning dew that sojourned on the sleepy windows, or even the fact how the whole town resembled a canvas with a riot of colors painting at the seam.

For all he knew, he could give an absolute _zero_ fuck even if there was a snow falling outside at this very moment. For his mind was already too engrossed on the impending event that had cause for him to be a bundle of nerves all day just thinking about it; feet fidgeting restlessly, stomach making somersaults, it earned him a couple of raised brows and questions from Victoria during recess who seemed genuinely worried.

As always, Nathan simply prevaricated her concerns with a fake grin. Though Vic didn't seem to buy any of his words, at least it was enough to stop her from asking more inquiries and leave him be. It wasn't that he didn't trust her— hell, she was probably the only one he could count on in circumstances such as these, but the last thing he needed right now was dragging her along to this bottomless pit he was heading. This was something he needed to face alone.

Though a small part of him felt awful at how he found lying had been like a second skin to him nowadays.

How could everything come to this? How could that _whore_ evenhad the nerve to threatened to tell the whole town if she didn't get what she wanted? Oh, she would pay for ever having the nerve to do that, alright. No one left unscathed when it came crossing a Prescott. But at the same time, Nathan could feel his composure slipping. So many 'what ifs' hovering in his head as if they were making a pirouette, worst case scenarios became nightmares haunting his gloomy thoughts.

What if the whole town found out that he actually had drugged her? What if his parents found out he'd being doing drugs all these years? What if they found out that he was the reason why—

 _No,_ Nathan shook his head. Not that one. _Not her._

To sum it up, if they found out, he was as good as dead. Simple as that.

With a troubled sigh, Nathan eventually rested his head back. His hand slowly rifling through his jacket pocket, callous fingers grazing on the cold metal steel of the 9mm pistol hidden though as his index finger came in contact with the trigger, he huffed. At this moment, the idea of pointing the gun to his own head have never seemed more appealing than ever.

"You got this, Nathan," he encouraged before his abysmal thoughts had the chance to lead him further astray. "You got this."

Nathan stayed like that for a few more minutes then. Infusing all kinds of sanguine thoughts into his system when his eyes caught to a distinctive, entrancing blue butterfly that fluttered overhead with the sun following its trail.

The creature was a sight for sore his eyes without a doubt, its wings glowed ever beautifully under the light, it was almost magical; a perfect instigator for his tangled mind as one of Charles Dickens' quotes came into remembrance.

" _I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free."_

Well, who knew he and Dickens had a thing in common, huh?

The butterfly eventually disappeared behind the building, to which Nathan immediately returned his whole attention making sure that he had his self-control within reach and his pistol remained hidden before finally proceeding to exit his vehicle with the breezy autumn air tickling the surface of his cheek. He thought whatever hell was coming for him, he was ready… well, at least for now.

Every languid step he took towards the bathroom felt like an ordeal to him. Passing a few familiar faces on his way there only worsened the struggle, he had to conceal himself under the cold demeanor he was casting just to ward people off. It was worse if his friends found out what he was up to, he didn't need the likes of David Madsen to sniff him out like a hound dog like he usually was. And Nathan didn't even want to think what would happen if he was caught.

 _Shit._ Now _that_ got his mind buzzing.

There was a bundle of apprehension that loomed by the time he reached his destination.

He didn't know if his peripheral vision was playing tricks on him, but the paranoia over being watched only resulting Nathan to cease his tracks and take a once-over over his shoulder for an assurance. An apparent chagrin emanated from his face once he realized it was all just in his head.

Sometimes, he wondered how much money that his parents had spent for those useless meds and therapies.

Nathan found the girls' bathroom appear to be desolated; covert and secluded which was perfect for the meeting. He was half-expecting her to have had arrived before him, but instead, his presence was met with the same blue butterfly from the parking lot that flew to perch on the nearest sink. And suddenly, he felt very out of place.

He could feel his pulse thumping furiously in his ears, feet pacing back and forth the room on their own accord as the sudden anxiety attack hit him once again. He thought that he could face the situation in poise, but now here he was, feeling akin like a sinking stone in the ocean.

"It's cool, Nathan… Don't stress... You're okay, bro. Just count to three," he walked towards the sink, pitiful eyes couldn't seem to meet his own reflection in the mirror. "Don't be scared… Don't be scared..."

Suddenly, he could hear the doorknob turned and a scrawny female figure with hair as blue as her azure eyes appeared behind the door, her gaze was sharp like shards of glass piercing on his skin. And if anything Nathan could make out from Chloe Price's death stare, was that he knew that the moment of truth had arrived. There was no escaping from this for once and for all.

The next few minutes passed by before him like a mist that he couldn't cast out. Their conversation had started with scorns; Chloe demanded cash from him, Nathan disproved her claim, saying that his money was his family's before they escalated to mere insults and threats.

And that was when Nathan's composure cracked and his fury outburst like a wildfire.

Like a puppet on a string, Nathan suddenly unsheathed his pistol to a plain view. Pointing straight right between her eyes before he took menacing steps towards Chloe who could only step back in a helter-skelter fashion until her back met the cold, tiled walls; her skin had gone stark white akin to the white tank top she was wearing. If there was audacity in her eyes, it was obvious that fear had come to claim its throne.

Amidst the haze in his head, Nathan could hear his own head screaming at him. Chastising him to get a grip of himself before things gone awry; before he did something that he would regret for the rest of his life.

"Get that gun away from me, psycho!"

But as soon as Chloe's quavering palms shoved him away, as soon as Nathan's finger slipped on the trigger handle before he could even stop himself. Just in the blink of an eye, the worst fear that his head had warned him happened.

_**BANG** _

Nathan's first instinct was dropping the gun, eyes bulged out in horror the moment he saw Chloe's body tumbled to the floor; blood dripping from her stomach, blue eyes staring lifelessly across the room, he could feel his ship sunk as the orchestra's playing in the distance.

His life was over. And the worse part that knew it. Nathan could only imagine how Chloe's parents would react once they found out, how devastated they would be before his mind traveled to think of his own parents. Now he knew death seemed like the only sincere friend he could rely on, all it took was taking his gun back from the floor and might as well pointing it to his own head.

Nathan was still freezing in his place when he heard a female voice boomed from his back that beckoned for his attention. "No!"

In the stillness of the room, there he found her— he didn't recognize her at first, but then her name popped in his head: _Max Caulfield_ , the girl that Nathan knew as the subject of Victoria's constant gripe about how she hated the sight of Max with her stupid vintage polaroid camera or how she seemed to like to kiss everyone's ass, emerged from behind one of the stalls with one arm held out in the air towards his direction, her brilliant pair of azure eyes shimmering under the lights.

Time felt as if slowing down the moment their eyes met, like in a literal way. Nathan wished it was just in his head, but he swore he could feel the walls around him shook, the mirrors trembling as subtle as an earthquake when he found his reflection staring back at him.

Nathan thought he had completely gone insane when he saw the world around him suddenly rewinding back in time. His eyes went wide at the sight of Chloe reset back to life before his eyes, the blue butterfly on the sink flew backward to the window where it came from before he met Max's round eyes once again.

And those eyes were the last thing he saw before his vision suddenly turned white.

* * *

Nathan lifted his eyelids wide open just in time as a sharp breath escaped his mouth. His head felt as if one had just encountered a horrible nightmare, vision gingerly adapting to the light that tried to pierce through until he acknowledged it as the ray of the sun.

And Nathan immediately froze in his place.

Even before his suspicions could make inquiries, Nathan quickly turned his head to check his surroundings, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed that he was back in his truck, phone in hand with the screen still illuminating his face.

"What the fuck!" Nathan reflexively dropped his phone, scooted over, and pressed himself hard against the door. "What in the actual fuck!

He tried rubbing his eyes for a first, silently pleading to be woken up from whatever dream he was in though nothing happened. He was still here. And the situation was enough to daze the living hell out of his as if his head was being christened with a bottle of champagne.

 _Was it just a dream?_ No, no fucking way it could've been a dream, it felt so surreal! But at the same time, he knew- he _fucking_ knew it couldn't have been just a figment of his imagination.

 _Does it mean… Did I just…_ He didn't even let his head finished as Nathan quickly shook such thought away. _This was only my head. All of this was_ _only in my head._

_But was it?_

Nathan ran his fingers through his light brown hair out of bewilderment. He knew he had gone to the bathroom, he remembered seeing the butterfly from the parking lot, and how he shot Chloe Price in the stomach to death with his own gun— at the thought of the gun, Nathan quickly discarded the pistol from his pocket to the back seat in distaste. Fuck, the last thing he needed right now was carrying that thing around, knowing what he had don—what he _could_ do with it.

"Calm down, Nathan. Calm down…" He tried to assuage the surge of anxiety that rushed in though that appeared to be futile. Whatever the fuck it was, it definitely sent his head to the point of madness that he himself couldn't grasp. Whatever the fuck it was, it _happened_ — or at least he believed it did. Damn, why everything had to be so confusing?

Nathan was still lost inside the spiraling mess he called his head when suddenly the same blue butterfly made an appearance, flying overhead before his eyes as he only watched in disbelief for he knew he'd seen it flown exactly like that before.

The next thing he knew, Nathan found himself leaving his car. Thinking maybe the breeze could give him some sort of solace as he slowly closed his eyes shut, visage facing heavenward as if waiting for a revelation to help escape this inexplicable situation he was in until he remembered a particular person that invaded his head:

 _Max…_ Jesus, how could he forget about her? She was the last person he had seen before… this. She showed up out of the blue with those bottomless blue eyes of hers and suddenly the world went topsy-turvy. Could she be the one who caused it? Because it was just too coincidental, there was no doubt about it!

Eventually, Nathan decided to fly by the seat of his pants and scour the matter himself. Whether it was the impulse that took the steer or the fact he had definitely gone out of his mind, but Nathan thought he needed to find a solid answer, albeit hesitation clouding his thoughts.

Though not after resolving an unfinished business with the person he presumed had murdered.

Nathan quickly checked his time; _five minutes to four._ If he was correct, the meeting hadn't happened yet, the shooting didn't happen, and Chloe should still be as fucking alive and on her way to the rendezvous. He still had time- heck, he could make it there in record time.

An enormous sense of déjà vu galloped in as those reluctant feet began to tread the same path towards the main building of the academy. He strived so hard not to go ape upon taking in every minutiae around him, passing the same familiar faces that he felt he had passed, though, this time, he vowed he could feel them following his every step like vultures. But again, maybe this could be his head behaving abnormally.

Nathan arrived at the bathroom some time later and his anxiety level had reached an all-time high. Just when he thought he could walk in here as if nothing happened, he'd never been more mistaken; somehow, he could still feel his finger pulling the trigger, hearing the gunshot rebounded across the walls as Chloe collapsed to the ground. And her eyes… for god's sake, those eyes… hollow and lifeless, they reminded him so much of…

 _No, not again._ Nathan could feel his hand formed into a fist. _Chloe never happened. I'm back from the start,_ he mused as he discerned at the floor, devoid of Chloe's corpse much to his favor.

Finally managing to cast aside his bitter thoughts, Nathan diverted his stare to the stall at the end of the room. Reminding himself one of the reasons why he came here though we all know he wasn't going to head there first. With one final acknowledgment at the blue butterfly that had settled on the sink, Nathan turned to face the door with head held high. Preparing himself for whatever coming for him as the door burst open.

Chloe walked in, just as he had it figured, and Nathan swore it felt like seeing a ghost on the back of his head. One minute he saw her lying in her own pool of blood, and now here she was with barely a scratch.

Words that he had carefully formed in his head came unspoken as he could only gape, a complete contrast to Chloe who only stared at him with disdain.

"I hope you checked the perimeter as my step-ass would say. Now, let's talk bidness," she proceeded to say with observant eyes glancing inside the stalls like he had seen her did. "Well, Prescott, are you going to talk or what?"

"I-I…" Nathan cleared his throat. "Look... I don't want no trouble from you. I've had enough of that for once in a lifetime, believe me. So let's get this short and sweet, so we all can leave this place without having to shoot each other to death or whatever. How much is it that you want?"

For a brief moment, he could tell Chloe was confused as hell at his remark. But then she crossed her arms over her chest, the glare in her eyes never faltered. "Three grand."

 _Jesus Christ._ Of course, she would ask for a substantial amount, he should've known. But again, he should've known better not to play with fire if he didn't want to get burn.

"Fine," Nathan concurred with a sharp exhale. He thought he'll find a way to get three thousand dollars from his parents, he always did.

"I want it at least by Friday."

"Fine."

"That's it? Well, that was hella easy." Astonishment was written all over Chloe's face. He swore he could see her smiling triumphantly afterward as Nathan glanced from the mirror. "You give me the cash and I'll consider any of this forgotten. If not... well…"

"You'll have it. Just scram before…" Nathan sighed with head lowered down. "Before I do something I'll regret later," he muttered dejectedly. Though it never happened, it didn't mean he could simply undo the tangling mess in his head.

Chloe scoffed. She was halfway leaving when she added, "Whatever, freako. Just get me my money."

With that, she left the bathroom. Alive and kicking so much to Nathan's relief. Not that he grew soft on the girl, for all he knew he'd always hated Chloe Price the moment she started to behave uncontrollably back when she was still enrolled, what he felt was simply a relief over the fact that he didn't have to live his days knowing he had another blood in his hands.

Nathan couldn't remember how long he'd stared at his own goddamn reflection after she had left, embracing the silence that lingered until he finally broke it.

"Max Caulfield, I know you're in here. Come out."

He thought no one would show up. He thought he definitely had his head mixed up until the girl with the short hair stepped out of her hiding spot, eyes glued to him though there was no trace of fear in there, only bewilderment. At this, Nathan declared that whatever he was going through, she underwent it to.

"Caulfield…" Nathan blew out his cheeks. "What the fuck did you do?"

END OF CHAPTER 1


End file.
